


Reed (Cervitaur)

by TheTravelerWrites



Series: Monster Lovers: Shelter Forest [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Adopted Children, Angst, Cervitaur, Deertaur, Exophilia, F/M, Human/Cervitaur, Human/Deertaur, Human/Monster Romance, Interspecies Romance, Interspecies family, Love Triangle, Mixed Family, Monster Boyfriend, Reader Insert, Reader-Insert, Reference to Child Abuse, Reference to sexual abuse, Sexual Content, Terato, Teratophilia, human/monster, reference to child abandonment, reference to slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-06-06 00:30:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15182765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTravelerWrites/pseuds/TheTravelerWrites
Summary: Declan's family has grown, and one of his children develops feelings for another of his charges.





	1. Part 1

“You’re drooling again,” Soraya said, clipping your chin with her long thumb. “You figure you’d get bored of gawking at him every day.”

“Shut up,” You said, pushing her long, leathery arm away. “I’m not drooling. I’m just… Shut up.”

She giggled at you, bumping you with her shoulder as the two of you sat on the edge of the porch at the side of the house, shelling peas and watching the boys in the field pulling up weeds. Lymera was inside the house with baby Asahi, and Toklo and Cetzu were out hunting rabbits for dinner.

You’d been living at the farm since you were four years old, despite being the only human child there. You ran from an abusive mother who had terrorized you since the day you were born. You ran for days and days to get away, and she chased you the entire time. You ran until you bounced into a giant bat man, crouched over a mole trap, startling him and scaring you so badly that you screamed.

Before he had the chance to assure you he wouldn’t hurt you, your mother showed up. Instead of cowering away from the large bat who’d just scared you, you clung to his fur and begged him to help you.

Your mother stood there with her whip in hand, furious and surprised, shouting expletives at you and the giant bat person. He reared up to his full eleven feet and demanded that she get off his property, that you were under his protection now. She continued to advance on you, and that’s when he actually roared at her, shrieking fit to burst her eardrums, and she took off without looking back.

He held you while you shook and sniffled, calming you as best he could, and you clutched the soft fur of his chest. Then took you to his farm, which was rather small at the time, though he was looking to expand it.

He introduced you to his wife and daughter, Ryel and Soraya, as well as two half grown Gnoll twins, Kurra and Feera, he had just taken in the year before. He told you this was a safe place and that he’d protect you. He smiled gently, cuddling you close, and it was the first time you’d ever felt safe in all your life.

Fifteen years of happiness and peace had passed since then, and the farm and family had grown. The fields now spanned over ten acres, and there had been a house and a barn built on the land. Laefa, wife of Declan’s neighbor Asker, was a skilled carpenter and had helped him build a home for all the new arrivals in exchange for percentage of the harvest. She had twelve half-Naga children, and since they were partly human and could eat fruit and vegetables as well as meat, she had a lot of bellies to fill.

In addition to Ryel, Declan, Soraya, and the Gnoll boys, there was now Birch and Yew the Centaurs, Lymera the Faun, Toklo the Adlet, Asahi the baby Kitsune, Cetzo the Changeling, and… Reed.

Reed was a Cervitaur who had come to the farm when you were twelve after his entire family was killed by poachers, like Soraya’s birth parents. He himself had four arrows in his side when he arrived in the early hours of the morning while everyone was abed. Terrified and bleeding, he collapsed in the cabbages and was unable to call for help. Ryel didn’t find him until morning, when he’d almost bled to death.

Declan had taken the Gnoll boys, who were almost fully grown at that point, as well as three of Asker’s sons to deal with the poachers while Ryel and Laefa treated Reed, fearful he wouldn’t survive. You had helped care for him, bring up water from the river and helping dress his wounds. You would often watch him as he slept, keeping check of his heart rate and breathing, and you couldn’t help but admire him.

Both his deer half and human half was a uniform tan with a white-ish stripe running up his back. His antlers were small, but you figured he had to be a little older than you if he had them at all. His eyes, when he opened them, were the sweetest brown and took up most of the space so that none of the white sclera was visible. He didn’t have a snout, but his upper lip had a cleft that ran up into the curve of his nose. His hair was the same off-white as his body stripe and his ears were large and long and moved independently. It was adorable to watch them flick back and forth as he listened to his surroundings, even in sleep. You had to admit that you’d fallen in love with him a little bit then.

That feeling didn’t change as you grew older. Everything he did sent you into a tizzy: his smile, how he stepped all dainty and careful through the rows as to not crush the crops, the way he tossed his long hair over one shoulder when harvesting. He had grown into his gangly body, now lithe and limber, like a dancer, and his antlers were large and gave him a commanding appearance, despite his slight stature.

He was shorter than the centaurs by a few feet and his deer torso wasn’t nearly as long as their horse bodies. He was barely taller than you were, in fact. Still, he pulled more than his weight around the farm and no one ever gave him grief over his height.

He occupied your thoughts all the time. You sighed a little every time you looked at him. You were this plump little thing, plain and not much to look at, at least not compared to him. There was no way he saw you as anything but a friend or a sister. The thought of him never returning your feelings, or worse, falling in love with someone else right in front of you, crushed your heart. Just going to the barn to call the boys to the house for meals was a trial.

 _Barn_ was kind of a misnomer; it looked like one on the outside, but it was set up more like a house on the inside, built specifically to house the four-legged family members. Each stall closed off so that the occupants could have their own room and privacy, and there was a small kitchenette and a common area where the family would often congregate during down times. Only the loft above was used for storage.

The only person who knew your feelings was your foster sister and best friend, Soraya, though she wasn’t exactly consoling. She snickered at you when she caught you daydreaming about him and told you that you should just tell him how you felt before you were both grey.

“You won’t understand until you like someone,” You told her. “But you only leave the farm to help Mom hunt, so how likely is that to happen?”

“Hey, we get guests all the time,” She said. “I could fall for any one of them. Just because I haven’t doesn’t mean I won’t.”

She was right; Declan’s farm was a popular stop for creatures who couldn’t trade with humans for whatever reason. There was a long, hidden road that connected the farm to the main road, leading to three large towns. It wasn’t uncommon to get creatures at all hours of the day, looking to trade goods for his produce, which was said to be the best in the region, not just by the creatures but by humans, too. Declan, whenever he heard this, would simply scratch his head and grin at his wife.

“Besides, I’ll probably find a mate long before you ever tell Reed how you feel.” She shook her head slightly, making her necklace knock around her chest. She never wore clothes, but she made the necklace, she said, so that people would stop confusing her for her father.

“It’s not that simple,” You said. “It’s not like he’s a stranger; we know everything about each other.”

“Would that make it easier?” She asked.

“No!” You exclaimed. “If you tell a stranger you like them and they don’t like you back, you never have to see them again. But if I tell Reed how I feel and he doesn’t feel the same, I have to see him every day. I have to live with the shame. It’ll be agony.”

“It’s already agony,” She said, rolling her eyes. “All you do is sigh and mope and frown. Do you know how hard it is to share a room with you sometimes?”

“I’m sorry I’m such a burden to you,” You said sarcastically, and she launched a pea at your head. “If I had any indication that he liked me back, I’d tell him in a heartbeat, but I don’t, so I’m not.”

“Do you want me to ask him?”

“No!” You said forcefully. “You are expressly forbidden to ask him anything of the sort.”

“You’re making this more difficult than it needs to be,” She said, shaking her head.

Suddenly a shadow fell over you, and you looked up to find Reed standing above you with a smile, his hair falling over his shoulders, holding a little lizard in his grip.

“Can you put him somewhere out of the way?” He asked you, his voice amused. “Kurra keeps trying to eat him.”

With your heart in your throat, you said, “Oh. Sure.”

Reed smiled and deposited the little thing in your hands before returning to the field, his little tail flicking back and forth.

“Put your tongue back in your head,” Soraya said. “Honestly, watching the two of you is painful.”

You sighed in annoyance and stood up, walking off the porch incline, built specifically instead of stairs, toward the road to let the lizard free.

That night, after dinner, you and Reed took a haul of skinned rabbits to Asker’s place. The two of you were good friends, despite your unrequited feelings. Reed tended to be quiet and reserved in most situations, though he would often walk with you and listen to you when you talked.

As you made the leisurely stroll toward the Naga’s cave, you heard a mockingbird call that sounded like the shriek of a woman, and it startled you rather badly. You stopped dead in your tracks and clutched your heart, willing it to slow. You hated it when they did that.

Reed waited for you to calm down, a concerned expression on his face, before walking with you again.

“Do you still get nightmares?” He asked softly.

You sighed. “Yeah,” you admitted. “To be honest, I’m always scared she’s just going to show up one day with that damned whip in her hand and steal me away from here. I think it’s one of the reasons I don’t like going into the towns. I don’t want to run the risk of seeing her.”

“It’s been fifteen years, maybe she won’t recognize you,” He said. “Maybe she’s dead.”

“Maybe,” You mused. “Still, if there’s even a chance she’s still out there, I’m more than happy to stay right here.”

“You know we’d look out for you,” He said with a gentle smile. “Declan’s clan, and the forest kin, we all look out for each other. That’s the deal, isn’t it? Share the work, share the spoils?”

You smiled. Declan had set this deal up with Asker and the surrounded forest creatures long ago, before even Soraya had come into their lives. It made this vast, dark forest a safe haven for beasts and humans alike.

“Yeah, I know,” You replied. “And that _is_ very reassuring.”

He was quiet for a few yards before saying suddenly, “I still get them, too, you know. Nightmares. About my family and the poachers.”

You nodded sadly. “I know.”

He sighed. “At least I know I’ll never see those monsters again. Declan and the others saw to that, and it's a comfort. But…” He pawed at the ground a little as he walked. “I miss my family. Declan and Ryel have been wonderful to me, and I love the clan dearly, but as much as I adore it here… I wish I could go home and find my family waiting for me.”

“I’m so sorry, Reed,” You said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He covered your hand with his and the sad smile returned. “It’s all right. We all have our nightmares here, I guess. You and I aren’t unique, in that way.”

“You’re right,” You said. Each one of Declan’s clan had a history, including Declan himself, and none of them were very happy.

The Gnoll twins had escaped an illegal fighting ring in one of the larger cities, having been discarded when they had sustained heavy injuries that rendered them unable to fight. They had originally planned to leave the farm once they were healed and find their parents, but learned soon after that their mother and father had been the ones to sell them to the ring in exchange for a better hunting territory because they were runts.

The centaurs, Birch and Yew, weren’t brothers, but they had been raised together on a ranch by a miller’s family that enslaved their kind and treated them like livestock, refusing to acknowledge them as intelligent creatures. They forced the centaurs in their captivity to do back breaking work with little food or sleep. They even bred them against their will to create stronger stock, removing the foals from the mothers immediately after they were born. Birch and Yew didn’t even know who their birth parents were.

Lymera had been kept chained to a stage at a tavern and forced to sing and dance for the patrons at all hours. Ryel had found her on one of her few outings and had immediately grabbed her up and ran with her. Declan scared the pants off of her captor and chased the awful woman out of town.

Cetzu was a reptilian-looking changeling that was dumped immediately by the human parents he was left with. Asker had found him on the edge of his territory, having nearly starved to death, and brought him to Declan.

The latest addition, Asahi, had a similar history as Soraya, except that his parents were killed by natural predators and not poachers. He was found in the forest by humans who thought he was a simple fox and was sold at an oddities shop. Ryel bought him for pennies without telling the merchant what he actually was.

You made it to Asker’s cave just before the sun began to set. He came out, a striking red and brown, and took the rabbits with thanks and a smile. His three youngest were difficult to feed as of late, their tastes seemed to shift daily. Yesterday it was radishes. Today it was rabbits.

On your way back to the farm, Reed asked: “Will you always stay at the farm?”

“I suppose,” You replied. “I have no reason to leave. What about you?”

“It’s safe here,” He said. “I like that about it, and I don’t have any reason to leave either. Soraya is to inherit it after Declan, and I have no problem staying on to help her for as long as I'm needed.”

“That could be a long time. Papa is as healthy as ever. We’ll likely kick it long before he does,” You said, laughing.

He smiled. “That’s fine with me. Like you said, there’s no reason to leave. This place is a paradise for people like us.”

You couldn't help but agree. Besides, where would you go if you left? You knew nothing about the world. And who would be the one to teach you, anyway?

The next day, as you were bathing Asahi, the slippery little thing got away from you, running toward the road and laughing as you scrambled to catch him. You had to dive to get a grip on his hind quarters, getting your dress covered in road dust. He yipped and squeaked and giggled, and you grumbled at him, trying to hold him still and get to your feet at the same time.

As you did so, you saw a man, an actual human man, riding up the dirt track toward the house.

It wasn’t someone you’d ever seen before; human visitors were rare indeed, so you tended to remember them. He was youngish and handsome-ish, his hair and skin light and clean. His coat, while not new, was well mended and had not a speck of trail dust on it. He was a bit tall for your liking, though maybe you just had a bias.

When he saw you, he raised his hand in greeting.

“Hello!” He called. “I’m looking for Declan! Is he here?”

“Uh, yes, he is, he’s by the river,” You said, wrestling with Asahi and trying not to be embarrassed by the state you were in. “I can fetch him for you. What is your name that I may tell him?”

“I’m Torrey,” He said as he pulled up, his horse a tall palomino. He smiled down at you. “I was told by a friend that this farm was good for trading and I have a few bits and bobs that might be of interest.”

“I’ll tell him. Wait here.”

You ran to the river, handing off Asahi to Soraya as you passed, holding your skirts above your knees as you waded into the water.

“Papa!” You called to him. Your foster father was helping Ryel do the washing. His head popped up at the sound of your voice and he trotted over to you as well as he could in the running water.

“What is it, my dear?” He asked.

“There’s a man on the road asking for you,” You told him. “A human named Torrey.”

Declan frowned. “Never heard of him. What’s he look like?” He asked. You told him, and he shook his head. “Nope, not ringing any bells. Better see what he needs.”

He shouted over the rush of the river to Ryel, telling her he would be back soon and she nodded in return, bending back over her washing. When you and Declan returned to the road, the man named Torrey’s face fell when he saw Declan and he took a good three steps back.

“ _You’re_ Declan?” He asked.

“Not what you were expecting, am I?” Declan said with a sly smile.

“I… uh… no. No, you are not,” Torrey said uncertainly. “I was told this was the place to come to trade for things that I might not find elsewhere. Is that true?”

“That depends entirely on what you’re looking for,” Declan said pleasantly. “We have a stock of fairy and goblin made things that come in handy.”

“I’ve heard,” Torrey said hesitantly. “I have a letter for you. It’s from a gentleman named Roth.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a package.

“Ah, Roth! Him I do know. Good man, I like him,” Declan took the package and waved Torrey toward the house. “If you’re a friend of his, you must also be a good sort. Come on, let’s see if we have what you’re looking for.”

Torrey took the reins of his horse, which you suddenly noticed was limping.

“Hey,” You said, catching the rope of its harness. “You horse threw a shoe, didn’t you notice?”

Torrey looked back in surprise. “Oh, no, I didn’t realize.” He chuckled. “I don’t supposed you have a farrier around, do you?”

“Actually, Mama does some blacksmithing,” You said. “But neither of my brothers ever need shoes, so we don’t keep that kind of metal on the property. You’d have to go to a town to get it.”

“Brothers?” He asked, confused.

You laughed. “You’ll see.”

You walked the horse carefully toward the barn in time to see Reed, Yew, and Birch walk up from the field with curious looks. Reed stood a ways back and frowned. He didn’t talk to strangers and was distrustful of all humans besides you and Ryel. He had every right to be.

“Uh… Hello, there,” Torrey said, attempting to be courteous despite his surprise. He turned to you and whispered, “Brothers?”

You nodded.

“Well, come in and let’s get your trading sorted, then my daughter can take you into town to buy some shoe iron.” Declan said. “The closest is only an hour away.”

Your heart gave a lurch at the thought of going into town with a strange man you just met, but your father wouldn’t have asked you if he thought you’d be in danger. He was protective of his children, but he also trusted them. He was a good father that way.

Torrey’s face clenched. He turned back to you and pointed at Declan. “Father?”

You nodded again.

“Ah.” He said, looking lost.

“I know,” You said, laughing. “It’s a lot to take in.”

Torrey followed Declan inside and Reed approached you as Yew and Birch returned to pulling.

“You’re going to take him to town?” He asked, continuing to frown.

“Yeah. Shouldn’t take long. We just need a rod Mama can shape into a shoe.”

He stepped nervously side to side. “Will you be… all right?”

“Yeah,” You said, even though you were swallowing your heart a little. “It’s just to get some iron. In and out.”

“Just be careful with him, okay? He smells funny.”

“You think that of all humans,” You said with a laugh.

“Still, be careful, all right?” He repeated, touching your arm lightly, stopping your heart for a beat or two.

“I will, Reed, don’t worry.”

Twenty minutes later, you and the man named Torrey were walking side by side toward the closest town. He had a longer stride than you, but modified it so you could keep up with him.

Reed really didn’t need to worry. Kurra and Feera had taught you a lot of fighting techniques, apparently taught to Gnolls since they were old enough to stand on their back legs. If this newcomer tried anything, you could put him in his place without any trouble.

“So,” Torrey began. “Quite the menagerie back there.”

You winced. “Don’t call it that. They’re not animals.”

He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “You’re right, forgive me.” He looked over at you. “How long have you lived there?”

“Since I was four,” You told him. “Fifteen years. Ryel and Declan, my mother and father, saved me and gave me a real home. I owe them everything.”

“That was wonderfully kind of them.”

“That’s just how they are.”

“How long are you planning to stay with the farm?”

It was your turn to look at him. “What are you talking about?”

“Well,” He said, waving his hand as if to emphasize a point he’d yet to make. “You’re an adult now. There’s no need to stay under your parents’ wings all your life. A lovely woman like yourself shouldn’t be hiding away in the woods. You could be traveling all over the world, leaving devastated men and women in your wake. You’re a born heartbreaker with those eyes and hips of yours.”

You huffed a laugh. “What?”

“Come now, you seem a capable woman; you’d have no trouble bending the world to your feet. It helps that you’re beautiful. The world breaks its back for the beautiful.”

You stopped in the road and stared at him like he’d grown Reed’s antlers.

He laughed at your expression. “Has no one told you that you’re beautiful before?”

“No,” You said. Because you weren’t. What game was he playing?

“Well, that’s a shame.” He smiled smugly. “I’ll have to take it upon myself to say it as often as possible while you’re in my presence.” He laughed and started walking again.

You stared after him. Reed was right, you were going to have to be careful with this one.

After two hours and a lot conversation that left you rather confused, the two of you had returned with the bar and Reed met you at the road.

“Bad news,” He said. “Soraya took a flight to catch the weather for tomorrow, and we’ve got a big storm coming.” He turned to Torrey with a sour expression. “Looks like your gonna be stuck here for the next couple of days. There’s no way Ryel can turn the iron and shoe the horse before the storm gets here. We’re already preparing the barn for an extended stay.”

The barn was safer than the house during storms because it had no glass windows to be blown out and there was a cellar underneath it that could serve as a hurricane bunker that could fit the entire clan, Asker’s family, and several more. It had taken months to dig that cellar.

“Has anyone gone to talk to Asker and Laefa?”

“Kurra’s gone now, but knowing Asker, he won’t leave the cave. Territorial instinct is too strong. He might send Laefa and the youngest brood, though. The older ones will likely hole up with him.”

“All right, what about Torrey’s horse?”

“Already in a stall and getting a brush,” He said. “Ryel’s removed the old nails and is filing the hoof down.”

“Oh, that’s a relief,” Torrey said.

“We’ve got spare cots for guests when they stay over,” You said to Torrey. “You’re welcome to one, if you like.”

“Thank you, that’s very kind,” He replied.

As Torrey stepped past you to see his horse, Reed caught your arm.

“You all right? No trouble in town, was there?”

“Nope,” You said. “Got the rod and came right back.”

He looked at you, his brows knitted together. “You have a strange look on your face. Are you sure nothing happened?”

“Not really,” You said slowly. “He just… said some weird things that didn’t make sense.”

His head tilted. “Like what?”

You almost said it, but you didn’t want to embarrass yourself by telling Reed that this stranger kept telling you that you were beautiful. Heaven only knew how Reed would laugh at that.

That night, just as your family managed to get the last of the supplies into the barn and barred the large double doors, the rain came down like arrows, hitting the roof with a startlingly sharp sound. Laefa and her three youngest had indeed decided to ride the storm out in the barn, while Asker and his oldest children stayed to guard their home.

Laefa’s latest clutch of three eggs had hatched only a few months ago, and Asker thought these might be his and Laefa’s last. She was reaching the age where taking his eggs was no longer safe for her health.

The three little ones played on the floor with Asahi, the little nagas’ red scales and pale skin flashing in the candlelight. Asahi liked to be chased by them, giggling and shrieking as they pretended to snap at his heels. The adults watched fondly and the older children rolled their eyes and occupied themselves with other things.

Eventually the little ones grew tired and it was time to eat a sparse dinner before putting them to bed. Toklo, barely ten, was bushed and fell asleep at the table, and Yew wasn’t far behind. They both had to be dragged to their stalls for the night.

Declan and Ryel took little Asahi to a free stall with a makeshift nest in it, since the babies always slept in with them until they were old enough for their own room, and Laefa took her cute little snake babies to another stall that had been set up for them. You, Cetzu, Lymera, Soraya, the twins, and Torrey would be sleeping on cots on the floor of the common area.

As everyone bedded down, you caught Reed staring out of his stall door at Torrey in the dark, a deep frown on his face. As soon as he noticed you looking, his shut his door. You sighed unhappily.

The rain splattered against the boards and the wind howled loudly. Everyone else seemed to have no trouble sleeping, but for you, this took you back to a time when another sort of howling followed you day and night. You squeezed your eyes shut and put your hands to your ears, trying to block it out, but the memories came to you unbidden of a time before the farm, when things were bad and you hurt all the time. You didn’t want to remember this, but it wouldn’t stop.

“Are you all right?” You heard a voice ask.

You opened your eyes and saw Torrey peering at you from his cot. You sighed and sat up, rubbing your temples.

“Just nightmares,” You said. “Go back to sleep.”

“Oh, I wasn’t sleeping,” He said. “This storm is far too loud.” He stood up and walked across to sit on the floor at the side of your cot. “What kind of nightmares?”

“About…” You shrugged, not looking at him. “About life before I came here. About my birth mother.”

“Was it very bad?” He asked.

You nodded but didn’t speak.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

You shook your head.

You felt his hand under your chin and he lifted your face to his. “You’re safe now,” He said softly. “And you’d always be safe with me, if that’s what you wanted.”

You heart pounded in your ears as he bent forward to press a kiss to your lips. It was nice, but you didn’t feel sparks. You had always hoped your first kiss would be with Reed, but that would never happen, so the fact that this kind man was the first didn’t seem awful. It’s not what you wanted, but it wasn’t so bad.

He pulled back and smiled at you, and you returned it.

“You should rest now,” He said, putting a hand to your cheek. “The storm will be gone before you know it.”

You nodded and lay in your cot as he crossed back over to his own. He was a nice man, you thought. You didn’t feel the thrill with him that you had always felt with Reed, but he liked you, even calling you beautiful. It was nice to hear, whether or not he actually meant it. He could be good to you if you accepted him, and maybe in time you could grow to love him. Some people aren’t even that lucky. Maybe he would make you happy and you’d forget Reed.

Of course, you could also be getting ahead of yourself. Time would tell, you supposed.

As you found yourself drifting off to sleep, your eyes fell on the door of Reed’s stall. It was slightly ajar and closed quietly when you looked at it. Unsure why and unable to process it in your groggy state, you fell asleep.

 

* * *

CLIFFHANGER, MOTHER FUCKERS.


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sudden declaration from the human stranger forces Reed's hand and gives the reader a reason to leave the farm.

The next morning, the storm had calmed and the rain wasn’t falling as violently as the night before. Torrey awoke with a stretch and smiled when he saw you. You smiled back.

“Good morning,” He said quietly, as other were still snoozing.

“Morning,” You replied.

“Did you manage to get any sleep?”

“A little,” You admitted, though the nightmares were back in full force. “You?”

“Some.” He scratched the back of his head. “I hope I wasn’t too forward last night when I kissed you. I know we’ve only just met, but I’ve taken a liking to you. I wondered if I had made that clear on our outing to town yesterday.”

Actually, you hadn’t picked up on it at all. You thought he was just being charming because that’s just the way he was. It didn’t occur to you then that he actually liked you.

“Oh,” You replied in surprise. “No, I didn't realize. I’m a little dense sometimes, I guess.”

“Don’t say that,” He said, sitting next to you on the cot. “I find you very clever, in fact. You were amazing with the metallurgist. I couldn’t have talked him down like you did.”

“Some people just need a firm hand,” You said.

“Do they, now?” He said in a low, suggestive mutter, looking away from you. You felt yourself blush.

Reed clattered out of his stall then very loudly, waking up the rest of the people in the common area. You scowled at him and he scowled right back. You wondered what was wrong with him. Sure, he was distrustful of the stranger, but this was odd behavior, even for him.

The rain stopped at lunchtime enough for Ryel to fire up her forge and work the shoe. While she did so, Torrey asked you to go for a walk with him. Smiling, you took him for a walk by the river.

“Have you traveled much?” You asked him.

“Quite extensively, yes,” He said. “I’ve never left the continent, but I’ve been to all four corners of it. Oh, there’s so much to see! The lantern festival in Dirna is absolutely beautiful this time of year. I’d love to take you to see it.”

“Lantern festival?”

“Oh, yes, they make these lanterns out of rice paper and ribbons, and then they light an oil wick, and the lanterns just float into the sky. It’s like the stars have come to earth for a night.”

“That does sound beautiful,” You admitted.

“Perhaps you’ll accompany me next year,” He said, smiling at you.

“Perhaps I will,” You said. It did sound lovely. Maybe it would be good to get off the farm every once in a while.

During your walk, he regaled you with tales of far off lands and exotic customs of people who lived miles and years away from your little farm. You found yourself daydreaming about these places, and every time you mentioned you’d like to see them, Torrey’s eyes would light up.

Shoeing the palomino took no time at all, and by dinnertime, Torrey was all set to go. Declan insisted he stay for another night so that he wasn’t traveling in the dark, possibly with more rain on the way, and Torrey gratefully accepted.

That night, Reed made the unusual decision to sleep outside of his stall and in the common area with everyone else. It was odd behavior, and you felt shy of talking to Torrey with Reed there. When you tried talking to Reed, he merely wished you goodnight and turned away from you. You didn’t like this new, distant side of him.

The next morning, at breakfast, Torrey surprised everyone by standing up and clearing his throat.

“I’d like to make an announcement, if I may,” He said, catching them all in his sweeping gaze. “First, I’d like to thank Declan and his family for putting me up these past few days.” He nodded at Declan and Ryel, who returned the favor. “Your kindness has given me renewed hope for a brighter future; most specifically, because it allowed me to meet your lovely daughter.” He smiled down at you where you sat next to him.

“Which brings me to the next part of what I wish to say, and it’s more a question than a statement.” He took a deep breath and said, “I’d like to ask her to marry me.”

A shocked silence settled on the table, broken only when Reed slammed his cup on the table, sloshing everyone within spraying distance, and shouted, “ _No!_ ”

You looked at him, startled. Everyone did.

“You’ve known her less than three days,” He said, standing, breathing hard through his nose. “You can’t marry her.”

Torrey’s head rocked back and he laughed a little nervously. “Forgive me, but unless I’m mistaken, you’re her brother, not her father, correct?”

“No,” Reed snarled. “I’m not her brother.”

“Well, at any rate,” Torrey shrugged. “It’s not your decision to make. It’s hers.” He turns to you. “What’s your answer?”

You gaped at him, unable to speak. This was incredibly sudden and it made your head spin. You looked around the table and saw the same stunned look on everyone else’s face, including your parents. Soraya’s eyebrows were raised, but she shrugged at you when you look to her for help.

“Perhaps we could discuss this a lit--” Declan said, but Reed cut him off.

“Don’t do it,” Reed said, staring at you. “You don’t even know him.”

Suddenly angry, you shot to your feet. “What does it matter to you?”

You walked past everyone and out of the barn to the river. You expected Torrey to follow you, but instead it was your father.

“So,” He said, leaning against a nearby tree. “Whoa.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” You replied. “Papa, I am very confused.”

“As am I,” He said ruefully. “This _is_ rather sudden. I know you’ve spent some time with him during his stay here. Do you even like him?”

“He’s a nice man,” You said, thinking. “I don’t _dislike_ him. He’s told me about where he’s been and all his travels, and I do admit, it sounds very exciting.”

“More exciting than this boring old farm, eh?” Your father said, smiling sideways at you.

“That’s not what I mean,” You replied, but he stopped you.

“No, it’s all right, darling, I understand.” He wrapped a wing around your shoulders. It was a warm, comforting weight, like a cloak. “I love this farm, but it is a very small speck compared to the rest of the world. You’re not a forest creature like the rest of us; it’s only natural for you to want to see more.”

You laid your head on his shoulder and nuzzled into the soft fur. “I’m torn. Torrey seems like a very nice man and traveling the world with him sounds amazing, and while I do like him, I don’t love him, at least not yet. Not enough to marry him, anyway. But I do love you and Mama and the kids and the farm and…”

“And?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing,” You said with a sad sigh.

“Well, whatever you decide, darling, I know you’ll make the right choice for you,” He said, releasing you. “But maybe, before you make your decision, there’s someone you could talk to.”

“Who?” You asked.

“Reed.”

You scoffed. “Why would I need to talk to him?”

“Why do you think?” Your father asked, raising his eyebrows knowingly at you.

Your mouth hung open in shock. “You know about that?”

“Darling, the whole farm knows about that. You’re not as subtle as you think you are,” He said, rolling his eyes. “And I may be a bat, but I’m not blind.”

You hid your face in your hands. “Ugh, I can’t believe this. It’s so embarrassing. Do you think Reed knows?” You asked, pulling your hands away and looking at Declan’s face.

“I haven’t the faintest idea, love,” He said pointedly. “Why don’t you go _ask him_?”

“I’m too angry at him,” you said venomously.

“Trust me, he’s not all that happy with you, either,” Declan said with amusement. “Or your suitor. I had to separate the two of them before they drew blood.”

That surprised you; Reed was not the violent type. He had always been true to the nature of his animal half, skittish and non-confrontational. The fact that he had tried to fight Torrey was hard for you to imagine.

“I think I’ll take a walk first,” You said with a weary voice. “I need to clear my head.”

“All right, my dear,” He said. “Don’t be gone too long, though, will you? It may rain again and I’d prefer if you didn’t get caught in it.”

“I will,” you told him, waving as you set off.

You went down to your favorite large, flat rock near the river and sat there, listening to the river burbling. It wasn’t the torrent here that it was in other parts, and the steady white noise was comforting. You closed your eyes and let the sound swallow you up.

“Are you actually going to marry that man?”

You opened your eyes and sighed in irritation.

“What do _you_ want?” You asked harshly, turning without standing up to see Reed coming out of a canter and stopping in front of your stone. “How’d you even know I was here? Did Papa tell you?”

“You said you wouldn’t leave,” He blurted out. “You said there was no reason to leave.”

“Well, now there is,” You shot back as you slid down. “Thing’s change.”

“You can’t marry him,” He said, breathing hard. “You hardly know each other.”

“So what? Why do you even care?”

“Because we’re family!”

“Are we?” You asked, rounding on him. “You were the one who said you weren’t my brother. So if you’re not my brother, then what are you?”

He took a step back as you advanced on him. “He can’t really want to marry you after three days. He’s got some ulterior motive. He’s using you for something, I just haven’t puzzled out what yet.”

The disbelieving tone of his voice hurt you. “What so hard to understand about someone actually wanting me? You think a man can’t find me beautiful just because _you_ don’t?”

He took another step back, the anger on his face replaced with confusion. “What?”

“I know I’m nothing special,” You yelled at him angrily. “I know that _you’d_ never look twice at me. I know _you_ don’t think I’m lovely, but _he_ does. He said so.”

“He could just be lying to you, don’t you see that?!” He yelled back, his eyes on fire. “Do you really think he fell in love with you at first sight? That’s impossible and you know it!”

“I don’t know that! In fact, I’m perfectly certain it’s entirely possible. So why couldn’t he have?”

“Even if I believed that, and even if he did, why would he want to marry you after only three days?”

“Because maybe he actually cares about me! It’s that so hard for you to understand?” You screamed at him, tears beginning to fall from your eyes. “And so what if he’s lying? So what if he doesn’t actually mean it? It’s nice to be told, just once, that someone finds you beautiful. That someone wants you. It’s worth being lied to sometimes, just to feel like you're wanted.”

He went silent and wide-eyed, retreating every time you advanced on him.

“You knew, didn’t you?” You asked him, the tears flowing freely down your cheeks. “You’ve known all along, and you just let me dangle like a worm on a hook. Didn’t you?”

At least he had the decency to look ashamed. He eyed the ground at your feet and bit his lip.

“Not… not the whole time. Only recently, the last year or so. I overheard you talking sometimes with Soraya.” He flicked his ears, half a second apart. “I have really good hearing.”

You huffed a mirthless laugh. “Did you think it was funny?” You asked him angrily, shoving him slightly. “Did you get a laugh out of it? Were you flattered, or were you disgusted knowing the fat, ugly farm girl was in love with you?”

“Don’t say that--” He said, and you shoved his shoulder again.

“I’m glad you were amused,” you sobbed. “I’m happy you found it so funny that it hurt me just to look at you. The idea that if you fell in love with someone else, it would have gutted me must have been so hilarious.”

“That’s not true!” He countered, trying and failing to gain ground, but you were in a fury.

“You know what?” You said in a dangerously low voice. “I think I will marry him. I’ll marry him and he’ll take me far away from here, and I’ll never have to see your smug face ever again.”

“Don’t, please,” He begged, grasping your wrists. “Please don’t leave.”

“Why shouldn’t I?” You asked him, your entire body shivering with rage and pain. “What reason do I have to stay?”

He released your wrists and grabbed you by your face, pressing his mouth to yours hard, kissing you with his lips and teeth and tongue, gasping and shaking.

 _This._ This is what it should have felt like the first time. You saw stars behind your closed eyelids and every nerve was set ablaze. His touch on your face was the only think anchoring you to the ground, otherwise you’d be spinning in the void that only the two of you occupied. Nothing else existed but his hands on your skin and his lips against yours.

He pulled at your bottom lip with his teeth, and you opened your mouth, allowing his tongue to slip inside and tangle with your own. He moaned against your kiss and he pulled your body against his roughly, so that he could feel your soft chest against his firm one. There wasn’t a stitch of space between the two of you, but you still felt the need for him to be closer.

When you pulled back, you sniffled and grimaced at him. “I swear, if you only did that so I wouldn’t leave, I’ll--”

“I love you,” He said, looking you right in your eyes. “I’ve loved you for a long time, but I was just shy and stupid and I liked listening to you talk about me with Soraya in secret. I will admit, it was flattering. But I always thought there would be time for me to act, that I could court you slowly and build up to it and surprise you one day with my intentions, just so I could see the joy on your face.”

He wiped your tears with his thumbs and kissed your eyes, running his hands through your hair. “I didn’t realize you were suffering, or I’d have done something sooner. I should have said it when I realize that human had taken a liking to you, but I didn’t think you’d actually go for him because I knew how you felt about me. I should have realized you were tired of waiting. I should have realized how unhappy you were. I’m sorry, my love. I’m so sorry.”

At that, you cried in earnest, full wracking sobs that prevented speech. He held you tightly against him, letting you weep into his shoulder, petting your hair and muttering soft words in your ear.

“I’ll make this up to you,” He said, kissing your face with tears in his eyes. “I’ll never forgive myself for acting too late. I swear, I’ll never disappoint you again. Just…” He held your face with is fingers tangled in the hair behind your ears and pressed his forehead to yours. “ _Please. Please_ don’t leave me. And if you can’t forgive me, just… just don’t marry _him_. Stay with me. Be with me, _please_.”

You laughed through your tears. “You were the one I always wanted, you ass,” You told him, which earned a watery chuckle. “I’ve been waiting so long for you to say that to me.”

“I know,” He said. “I’m sorry.”

“You can make it up to me tonight,” You said, whispering in his ear. “After everyone goes to bed, meet me here, at my river stone.”

“I will,” He said, holding you close to him and burying his nose against the skin of your neck, inhaling deeply.

You sighed as you stepped away from him, though you still held his hands in your own.

“Now I have the unpleasant task of refusing Torrey’s proposal.”

“Do you want me to be there?” He asked.

You shook your head emphatically. “No. Refusing a man’s proposal while standing with the man I’ve chosen instead of him would be terribly inappropriate.”

“All right,” He said. “Let me walk you back, then. Hopefully he’ll take it well. Though, if it were me, I’d be crushed and ready to fight.”

“Speaking from experience?” You asked him wryly as you both started back toward the farm.

He laughed. “I guess. Seeing him with you made me sick to my stomach, but when I saw him kiss you, it was like I’d been shot through the heart. And I’ve been shot, so I know what it feels like.” He reached back to touch the four thin, diamond shaped scars on his side. “When he asked you to marry him, it was another round of arrows into my gut. That’s why I reacted so badly.”

You took his hand and held it as you walk. “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “It’s my own fault. I should have been braver. If I had told you sooner, you wouldn’t be in this situation.”

You snickered. “I can’t argue with that, jerk.”

He snorted and bumped into you playfully with his shoulder. “I deserve that, too.”

At the edge of the farm, you parted ways. He joined the boys as they went out to clear the fallen trees that had been knocked over in the storm from around the farm.

You found Torrey by himself in a chair on the porch, mending a tear in his gloves. He looked up at you with a smile, which slipped from his face when he saw your expression.

“I’m assuming you don’t have good news for me, then,” He said.

You sighed. “Can I join you?”

“Of course,” He said, putting aside his mending.

You sat down the chair next to his and took a breath. Feeling ashamed, you didn’t want to look at him when you said this, but it seemed important to look him in the eye. It was about respect. If nothing else, you did respect him.

“I want you to know that I like you very much, Torrey,” You began. “And the idea of traveling the world with you sounds very alluring. But…” You sighed. “The truth is, I’m in love with someone else.”

He didn’t answer immediately.

“I see,” He said at length.

“I didn’t mean to lead you on, it’s just that I genuinely thought he wasn’t interested in me and I was trying to put him behind me. But even if had I married you, I’d never be able to love you like I love him. It wouldn’t have been fair to you. You deserve a woman who can give you her whole heart, and that's not me.”

He sighed heavily. “Well, I wish I could say I’m glad you were honest with me, but I’d be lying.” He shook his head and looked at you with a pained expression. “I rushed this,” He said. “I should have taken more time, perhaps stayed in the neighboring town and visited you more. I spooked you by asking right away.”

“I don't think that would have made a difference,” You told him.

“Maybe it would have,” He said, shrugging. “People fall in and out of love all the time. Maybe if I had been more patient, you’d have fallen out of love with this other fellow and fallen in love with me instead.”

You doubted it, but you said, “Maybe.”

He squinted at you, hesitating. “Is that your final decision, then? Are you sure I can’t change your mind?”

You nodded grimly. “I’m sure. I’m sorry, Torrey.”

He sighed again and stood up, putting his gloved in his coat pocket. “Well, my horse is shod and the storm has passed. There’s no reason to stay any longer,” He said, smiling at you morosely. “If there’s nothing left for me here, then it’s best that I be moving on.” He bent down to kiss your cheek, adding, “Please tell your mother and father than I’m grateful for their hospitality and give them this.” He handed you a pouch. “For their trouble.”

“I will,” You said, clutching the bag. “I hope you do meet a girl who gives you her whole heart. You deserve to be with someone who makes you happy.”

He smiled a real smile then. “I hope she’s a lot like you.”

You blushed and looked at the ground.

His palomino was tied to the porch, and he undid the rope and tightened up her harness, vaulting up on her back. With a parting smile, he tipped his hat to you and nudged her forward, and was gone in a matter of minutes.

You heard hoofsteps behind you and you turned to see Reed coming up the ramp.

“How bad was it?” He asked, wincing.

“Not as painful as I expected,” You said. “I still feel terrible. He was a very nice man; in another life I’d have been happy to accept. I feel like I lied to him.”

“You didn’t lie,” He said, touching your face. “You didn’t know the whole truth yourself, so you couldn’t have lied. I hate to admit it, but he’s not so terrible; he seems like he make a good husband. For anyone besides you,” He remarked sternly and you laughed. “I hated him because I knew he was courting you, but really he seems all right.” He frowned. “For a human, that is.”

“I’m a human,” You reminded him.

“You’re one of the good ones,” He said with a seductive smile, pulling you close by the back of your neck. He kissed you again, deep and hungry, his arms a cage around your waist. You moaned as his hands roamed downward over your rear and his fingers dug in. You had to force yourself to pull away when you heard voices from around the house.

“Later at the river?” You asked him breathlessly.

He nodded, panting. “I have much lost time to make up for.” He kissed you one more time before fleeing back to the forest to finish hauling the wood.

That night, you waited until you were sure Soraya was asleep before slipping out of your shared room and downstairs, where everything was dark and silent.

Outside, you could still hear Birch and Cetzu laughing and joking, so Reed wouldn’t be able to escape just yet. Perfect. You’d have time to bathe before he got there.

You got to your special stone by the river and stripped down. Under the rock shelf, you had hidden a tin box with soap and bathing oils and set them on the edge of the rock where you could reach them.

You stepped a foot into the calmer pool in front of the stone table to test it. It was a little chilly but not unbearably so. The chill of the water hardened your nipples instantly, and you rubbed them a little to try and soften them up. You slipped in slowly, shivering as the water hit your tender bits, and dipped down under the water to wet your hair. When you came up, you heard a sharp intake of breath.

Reed was standing there, about twenty feet away on the shore, looking right at you. For a moment you couldn’t take your eyes off each other, but slowly, you reached for your soap, lathered up your hands, and made quite the show of washing your body, paying specific attention to your breasts, over your buttocks, and between your thighs. You reached up to run soap through your hair, stretching your body, perking up your breasts and arching your back.

You risked a peek at him, and he was breathing very hard. He stayed put, watching you, and you could see his member peeking out from the sheath between his back legs. Smiling a bit to yourself, you ducked down to rinse your hair and body, then snatched up the bottles of almond and rose oil and pulled yourself up on the rock shelf, water cascading off your body. You beckoning to him, smiling.

He jumped as though startled, and made his way over to the large stone you sat on. The moon was out and shining through the leaves of the canopy, painting patterns on your skin.

“Want to help?” You asked, handing him the oils. “I assume you know what to do with these?”

“I have an idea,” he said with a smirk.

“Good,” You said, laying down on your stomach and pulling your wet hair out of the way. You watched him fold his legs under him and kneel next to you. You heard a dripping sound as he poured some oil on your back and then felt his hands working the oil into your skin gently and firmly. You groaned in pleasure as his hands worked over the muscles in your shoulders and neck, drawing out the tension. A thrill shot up your spine as his hands spread the oil over your bottom and massaged them, rolling the skin back and forth, opening you up and easing back down. You wondered if he was looking at what lay between.

You felt him nuzzle your ear as he said, “Roll over.”

You obeyed, baring your front to the air and looking at him. He was flustered and biting his lip, but he applied the same tender ministrations to the front of your body, his hands kneading your breasts and tugging slightly at your nipples. You sighed and smiled at him, urging him to go lower by rolling your hips ever so slightly. His hands slid down your stomach and between your thighs, which you parted.

The first tentative stroke of the skin sent a shock through your body and made you gasp. He snatched his hand back in surprise.

“No, no, it was good,” You gasped, laughing. “Please, keep going.”

He smiled uncertainly, but touched you again, and you moaned softly.

“I’ve dreamed of this,” He said. “I’ve wanted to touch you like this for a long time, before I even knew your feelings for me, but I was too shy.” He felt the entrance and let a finger slip inside. Your mouth opened and your back arched in response. “I just thought, at first, that what you felt was just an infatuation and that it would pass.”

“I’ve loved you since I first laid eyes on you,” You breathed. “That’s why I know love at first sight exists.”

“Do you know when I fell in love with you?” He asked, his finger joined by a second, moving in and out of you at a steady speed.

“Mm?” Was all you could say.

“That day the bear came out of the woods when we were pulling up water together. It came straight at me. I was scared to death and froze, but you chased it away by literally screaming at it and throwing your bucket at it’s head. I couldn’t believe you were prepared to take on a bear for me. I could never be that brave. I fell in love with you right then.”

You gasped for an entirely different reason. “That was three years ago!” You smacked his shoulder. “How could you not tell me!”

“I told you, you’re braver than me. I was too scared,” He bent down and kissed your breastbone, working his way up to your lips. You writhed underneath him. “You make me braver.”

“Reed,” You whimpered against his mouth. “I need you.”

Because he was much smaller than a centaur, his body was a comparable to yours in length. He climbed up onto the stone, stepping over you with his hind legs between your knees and his forelegs on either side of your your waist, and knelt down. Sitting on his back haunches between your thighs and his kneeling on his forelegs, he was able to bend his human torso forward and reach your face, kissing you while his hands stroked your breasts and sides.

With a single twitch of his hips, he popped the head of his length into you, and you cried out against his lips. He eased himself into you, aided by the oils, little by little. He started out narrow and kept getting bigger and bigger as he slid further in, stretching you open. You both groaned at the sensation, your foreheads pressed together as he buried himself inside you. He knitted his fingers with yours and held your hands above your head.

He was still for a moment before moving slowly, his flanks quivering with the effort of holding back.

“Have you dreamed of this, too?” You asked him breathlessly.

He huffed out a laugh that was mixed with a moan. “Countless times. I even imagined turning you over this very rock and losing myself inside you.”

“There’s no reason you can’t,” You said, smirking at him.

“Shouldn’t your first time be gentle?” He asked in concern.

“My first time can be anything I want,” You told him. “And besides, it’s your first time, too. You should get what you want just as much as me. And maybe I want you to.”

He growled at you with a smile on his face. “I hate myself for waiting so long.”

“Do something about it, then,” You said, your smile widening.

He grinned and pulled away. He still had a grip on your hands, so he pulled you forward off the rock and spun you, catching the back of your neck in one hand, hair and all, and applied gentle pressure until you were bent over the stone with your rear in the air. He lifted his forelegs and braced them around your body on the rock.

He pet his hands over your buttocks tenderly, spreading them, and you felt him open you up and line his length back up with your entrance, easing himself back in. You moaned loudly, grateful you were far away from the house.

“Gods, you’re so warm,” He wheezed. He picked up speed, ramming into you, bouncing your thighs against the rock. You might have bruises tomorrow, but you didn’t care. They’d be under your skirt and no one would see them. They’d be your little secret.

Reed’s face was pressed against the back of your head, whimpering into your hair, blowing his breath across your neck. Every shorthair on your body stood on end. You needed more.

“Harder,” You begged. “ _Harder_ , please.”

He was only happy to comply, slamming into you with force, making incredibly sinful slapping sounds against your rump as he did.

“You’re so good,” He whispered with a cracked voice, his arms crossed over your chest as you held yourself up against him, holding your breasts with the opposite hand. “I love you so much.”

Why was it that phrase that undid you completely? You grunted obscenely as the pleasure crashed over you like a gale of wind, blowing you over the edge and drowning you in sensations. Your muscles clenched him as you came, and it cause him to release as well. He gushed into you with a shout of ecstasy, spilling out of you and splattering onto the ground between your feet.

His legs fell off the rock and his torso collapsed onto you as you collapsed on the rock, breathing hard and sighing loudly as you both came down and settled into bliss.

After a few minutes and a deep sigh, he pulled out of you and helped you stand up.

“Are you all right?” He asked as you turned to face him and plant a kiss on his lips.

“I’m lovely,” You said with a bright smile.

“You are,” He agreed, frowning at himself. “I’m sorry if I ever made you feel like I didn’t think so. I’ve always found you beautiful. I should have said it sooner.”

You stopped him by putting your fingers on his lips. “No more ‘should haves,’” you said. “We’re wiping the slate clean, starting over. I’m just as much to blame for all this; I should have spoke up long before now. I was just as scared as you were.” You wrapped your arms around his shoulders and kissed him sweetly. He reciprocated. “I should have been just as angry at myself as I was at you. Don’t keep beating yourself up. ”

He bumped your forehead with his gently. “Maybe. So, where do we go from here? Do you think Declan will let you move into my stall?”

You covered your face with your hands in embarrassment. “Oh, gods, I don’t even want to think about facing the family with this yet. They all know about my feelings for you. I do not want to have to look at Soraya’s smug face for the next sixty years.”

He laughed. “The boys have been goading me forever about you,” He remarked. “They’ll be just as bad.”

“Why don’t we just let them figure it out, then, since they’re all _so clever_ ,” You said sarcastically, and he grinned.

“Sounds good to me,” He said. “Though, I don’t want to have to sneak around to see you. You’re not a secret. I want them to know that we love each other.”

“They already know,” You said, rolling your eyes. “Now it’s just a matter of us finally acting like it.”

You went to the river to clean yourself up and started to shiver. He reached for your clothes and handed them to you as you waded out of the water.

“It’s getting cold. Let’s get you dressed and back in bed. We can deal with the family in the morning. Maybe I’ll just give you a big, sloppy kiss over breakfast.”

You giggled. “That would get the message across.”

He helped you pull your dress on and buttoned up the front, kissing up your body as he did. “I’ll shout it to the world, if I have to. I want everyone to know that I have you, and that I’m happy.”

When he stood up straight, you laid your head on his shoulder and sighed, closing your eyes. “So am I.”


End file.
